


You put your arms around me (and I'm home)

by Insertcreativenickname



Series: You've got nothing to fear (I'm here) [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Good Brother Klaus Hargreeves, Hugs, I Don't Even Know, Light Angst, Nightmares, No Incest, Number Five | The Boy Has Issues, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Panic Attacks, Platonic Cuddling, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, They're all probably ooc, just a lil bit, let me make that really fucking clear, so apologies for that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-11-27 10:16:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18193259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Insertcreativenickname/pseuds/Insertcreativenickname
Summary: Five has a nightmare and needs a hug. Klaus is happy to provide.-Aka, the author is bad at summaries





	You put your arms around me (and I'm home)

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa
> 
> ok, so
> 
> this is my first fic. like. ever. its probably really bad, soooooooo. sorry.
> 
> Title of the fic is from the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bayeu-W0aJ8
> 
> Enjoy!

Five bolts up in bed, a scream ready to escape his lips _andhesbackthereagaintheashandthefirefillhisnosehisarmshurthecantbreathehecant-_

He blinks.

And it’s gone.

Five takes a shuddering breath, attempting to calm his breathing, shivers racking his body as he tries to fight the prickles behind his eyes, mind taking over his coordination as he wraps his arms around himself.

He lays there for a minute, eyes squeezed shut, nails digging into his arms, grounding him to the world he knew he was hanging onto with a thread.

Five figured he wouldn’t- _no, couldn’t_ go back to sleep, so instead he ripped off the damp covers from his body and set towards the kitchen, hands wrapped around his elbows and pressed onto his stomach.

He reaches the kitchen, the lights on but no one in sight.

On the counter was a sandwich. Five didn’t have to think much to know it was a peanut-butter marshmallow sandwich.

 _It must have been Vanya_ , he thinks absentmindedly as he walks towards the counter and takes a bite out of the sandwich.

And he tastes the ashes in his mouth, a cold feeling of dread pooling in his stomach. The ashes are everywhere, coating the sky, and _he’s not even in the kitchen anymore itsallrubbleanditsallgoneandtheresnoonearoundand-_

 _He’s alone_.

He’s _alone_ and all he hears is the flames around him, the ashes filling his _lungs_ , his _stomach_ , _his mind, and he can’t breathe and he can’t think and-_

There’s a hand gripping his wrists and he scrambles back into a barely standing wall, knowing it’s just his mind playing tricks with him, muddling his sanity further, ruthless and calculated, but through the howling wind and the grainy dust drifting onto his skin he catches something he wishes he hadn’t _becauseitsnotrealitsnotrealitsnot-_

“ _Five!_ ”

And he’s _confused_ because _theyrenotalivetheyreallgonewhy_ -, and he _can’t_ find Dolores, so he shuts his eyes, hoping, _praying_ , that it was just a figment of his imagination but the voice _inhisheadonlyinhishead_ sounds like _home_ , like the midnight hours spent at Griddy’s because Klaus couldn’t go to sleep, like the nights he spent holed up in Vanya’s room with Ben and listening to her practice the violin over and over trying to get that _one note right_ , like _safety_ , and _warmth_ , and _the firm hold of a brother_ -

Wait.

Five blinks through tears, some free falling down his cheeks before he gets a weak grip on reality again and stares straight into green irises.

He doesn’t take the time to figure out who it is because he _knows_ he sees pity in them, and he can’t take it because he’s being _weak again_ , and he _doesn’t need it because he’s been taking care of himself for over 40 years, he doesn’t need pity from anyone._

So, he does the next best thing.

He teleports back to his room.

And he crawls back onto his bed, curling up into the tightest ball he can, arms wrapped around his knees and fingertips pressing onto his elbows, breathing in and out, trying to keep his desperate sobs quiet so no one else is bothered by him and his problems.

He’s _fine_ . _Perfectly, one hundred percent fine_ , a mantra he repeats over and over again, more on the side of attempting to convince himself he is rather than stating a fact.

Then he hears the knock on his door.

Five quickly wipes his tears away on his arm and takes a deep breath.

“Go away,” he says lowly, voice rough with disuse and fresh sobs threatening to escape his throat.

The door is creaked open anyway, a hand with a tattooed ‘Hello’ on it creeps its way in and gives Five small wave.

Five choked back a laugh, because it was idiotic to think that _Klaus_ of all people would turn away and not look back.

Klaus slowly steps into the room, foot falls quiet and calculated, mouth shut, which was uncharacteristic of the man who couldn’t stop talking for more than 1 minute, even if it was to himself.

Five’s puffy eyes follow Klaus as he continues to venture into the room before promptly taking a seat on the bed beside Five, not one word exchanged.

The room is thick with silence, the only thing filling it is the occasional hitch Five so pathetically lets out, and he _swears_ he _still_ acts like a child, and now he finds it harder to hold back the sob that's crawling its way up his throat, which is just _fan-fucking-tastic_.

“It’s okay to cry, y’know.”

And he _snapped_.

“ _NO_ ! It’s _NOT_ ! How many years have I spent in a post apocalyptic world _without anyone and I’m still weak!_ ” The tears are free falling now, cascading down his face and making small puddles on the floor. He lets out a strangled yell, running a shaky palm through ruffled curls. He’s standing now, pacing around the room, spewing equations ~~_thingsthatmakesense_~~ and muttering _how he needs Dolores, where is she_ -

There are arms wrapped around him, not tight, but firm and _warm and_ -

_He breaks._

He clutches the back of Klaus’s sweater, burying his face as much as possible into the man’s chest (he can feel his heartbeat, he’s alive _alivealive_ ), chest heaving and sobs racking his small form, sharp inhales and gasps for air fill the room as Five clings to Klaus like a lifeline ( _and maybe he is_ ).

Klaus gently pulls Five back to the bed, carding his fingers through his unruly curls, murmuring soft assurances, trying to calm him down before he works himself into a panic again.

Klaus loosens his arms a bit, ready to shift in his seat, but Five only tightens his grip further, gasping out between sobs,“Don’t leave. Not again. _Please_.”

“Shshsh, s’okay. I’m not going anywhere,” Klaus replies solemnly, heart breaking a little with every choked whimper that escaped Five’s lips.

They stayed there for a while, Klaus holding the boy who went through so much and had almost nothing to show for it besides trauma and knowledge no child should know.

Five’s sobs eventually recede, reduced to soft hiccups and small sniffles.

His head rests on Klaus’s shoulder as he breathes shakily, mimicking Klaus’s steady breathing.

“Five?”

Five hummed, fiddling with the soft fabric under his fingertips.

“You with me?”

He hummed again and blinks a few times, eyes drooping a bit. He stifles a yawn as he shifts into a more comfortable position.

“Let’s get some food, yeah? Or maybe some coffee. Whatever you want. Hell, we could go to Griddy’s, but I can’t drive so maybe we can ask someone else-.” Klaus’s rambling is cut off by a warm breath hitting his ear.

Klaus looks down to find a sleeping Five, his face almost looking relaxed as his chest rises and falls steadily.

Klaus smiles to himself as he grabs a nearby blanket and draping it over the two of them. He presses a soft kiss to the top of Five’s head and settles in.

“Night, Five.” 

* * *

Vanya steps into Five’s room, expecting to find him looking over an equation he scribbled on the wall.

What she wasn’t expecting to see was Five wrapped around Klaus like a koala, with Klaus chatting in a low voice to seemingly himself, probably Ben, with his arms draped lightly around Five.

Klaus pauses his conversation and glances over to where Vanya is standing in the doorway before flashing her a small smile, almost sheepish.

She chuckles lightly and shuts the door behind her.

_These guys…_

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading!


End file.
